At Fiber Connect 2021, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) announced it has created its Research Advisory Program, a new independent research organization led by former Gartner Principal Analyst Deborah Kish, which aims to quantify and qualify the economic, societal and community impact of fiber broadband in the U.S. and Latin America.
Concurrent to the program's announcement, the FBA launched three new white papers (including The Market Has Spoken, The Future of Work and Fiber is the Fundamental Technology for 21st Century Communications) and said it plans for additional original survey-based research and qualitative summaries, partner-based research, technical analysis and member-sponsored white papers.
The research will be centered with the FBA’s Technical Community, leveraging some of the FBA’s member companies’ brightest technical minds to examine the critical issues the fiber industry faces today as it looks to provide robust broadband services to all Americans. It will also look to partner with other industry groups, as the FBA did with The Future of Work white paper created in partnership with the Fiber Council Global Alliance and the Starlink: RDOF Assessment developed in partnership with NCTA, for survey-based original quantitative-based research.
“I’ve been fortunate to watch several markets develop and grow in my role as a senior research analyst and the current opportunity is unprecedented in terms of its potential impact on people’s lives today and for generations to come,” said Deborah Kish, FBA's Vice President of Research and director of the Fiber Advisory Research Program. “The research we have underway will not only deliver the facts, figures and insight the industry needs to move forward in a way that creates true digital equity for everyone but provide actionable advice for our all our members.”
Since inaugurating the program, the FBA Research Advisory Program has delivered its first slate of original research, technical white papers, market summaries and educational webinars. These include:
- The Rural Digital Divide
- TCO Fiber vs. Fixed Wireless Technical Analysis
- Starlink: RDOF Assessment
- The Future of Work
- The Market Has Spoken
- Fiber Fundamentals
- TCO Fiber vs. LEO Satellites Technical Analysis (publishing soon)
Gary Bolton, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, concluded, “Fiber is the foundation of the 21st century digital economy. This decade brings unprecedented opportunity for investment, deployment and technology innovation as fiber networks bring more for homes, business, people and a wide array of advanced devices into the Gigabit Economy. Fiber broadband has proven to have an immediate and long-lasting impact on communities across North America and the Fiber Broadband Association, with its broad membership mix of operators, vendors, integrators and communities, is well positioned to deliver the resources and information the industry needs to make informed decisions.”
For more information about the FBA’s Fiber Advisory Program, or to inquire about becoming involved in the program as part of a technical peer review program, sponsoring or partnering new research, please contact Deborah Kish.